Takeaways From Vanderbilt Basketball's 74-72 Loss To Nebraska – Sports Illustrated

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OKLAHOMA CITY—Heartbreak is all that Vanderbilt basketball will remember from this one. And it will cloud the memory of this otherwise-special season for a long time.
It was right there for Vanderbilt basketball to win this thing. It was right on the rim, even. Yet Tyler Tanner's shot fell to the floor and this group had suffered a gut-wrenching loss. Here's a few takeaways from the outing.
The Tyler Tanner shot will haunt a lot of memories
Classic heroism awaited Tanner as he fired up a halfcourt heave with 2.2 seconds to go in Vanderbilt’s eventual NCAA Tournament loss to Nebraska. The shot was unlikely enough that the possibility of it falling appeared all but impossible, then it clicked. As Tanner’s heave was descending, everyone in the sold-out PayCom Center appeared to figure out at the same time that this thing had a chance.
At the end of its descent, the bright orange Wilson basketball provided the crowd with a touch of confirmation bias as it bounced off the backboard according to Tanner’s plan and hit the front rim before shooting towards the back. The shot fell off the rim and immediately became one of the most notorious within its program history. 
“That one, it’s probably going to haunt me forever,” Tanner told Vandy on SI. “I want to just focus on being grateful for how good of a year it was for this team. We made history in a lot of ways. But, I'm definitely gonna end up thinking about this a good amount, just because that was the last play of this season.” 
If Tanner’s postgame walk off the floor in which he held his jersey over his–likely tear-filled face–and was being propped up by Vanderbilt freshman Jaylon Dean-Vines, this cloud likely won’t move for a long time. Tanner’s season is one that cemented him as a Vanderbilt basketball legend, but that’s not how he’s thinking on this grim Saturday night. It may not be how he thinks about all of this for a long time. 
What are the odds?
Remember when Tanner took a similar shot against Missouri and missed it? Vanderbilt forward AK Okereke certainly does. The basketball gods couldn’t even give Tanner one of the two. How cruel 
“I kind of had flashbacks to Missouri,” Okereke told Vandy on SI. “It looked good from my angle.” 
Vanderbilt’s best season in a long time ends unjustly
Vanderbilt went on the road and won at Tennessee. It secured a five seed for the first time since 2011-12. It won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2011-12, as well. Yet, a lot of that won’t be at the forefront of this group’s memory. 
Instead, it will be remembered within the lens of Tanner crouching down on the floor and walking off the floor with his jersey pulled over his face in agony.
The real difference wasn't the shot not going in
Vanderbilt was uncharacteristically poor from the free throw line on Saturday and that changed the outlook of this thing. Hard to win when you go 11-for-19 from the free throw line.
That doesn't make it sting any less for this group, though.
“It sucks,” Nickel toldVandy on SI.“Just knowing that it was that close to not being over. Yeah, it hurts. There's a lot of other things that went into it, not to say that it was all on that shot. 
It wasn't. [Tanner] just put up a great look at the end, but man, the end stinks.” 
That was the most difficult environment played in all season
While Tyler Tanner was slapping hands and being introduced as a starter on Saturday, he was serenaded by a sea of “Husker Power” chants. That shouldn’t have been surprising, either. 
When Nebraska took the floor a few moments earlier, it was cheered on as if they were the showtime Lakers emerging in their first game after a national title run. And to this group of fans, they are. This is the closest thing this program has ever provided. 
The Nebraska team that Vanderbilt saw on Saturday is the greatest in program history. It’s the first to win an NCAA Tournament game, too. The crowd they brought gave them all the flowers that they could possibly deserve. It was the most difficult environment that this Vanderbilt team has ever played in–and it’s been to Kentucky, Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee. 
How about that for a neutral site? How about that for a way to go out?
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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